Mail-bag holder.



B. WOODWGRTH, M. J. OUTWATER & E. HOPE.

- MAIL BAG HOLDER.

' APPLICATIDS TILED HAILZQ. 1911. I I 995,647, v Patented June 20, 1911. z SHEETS-SHEET 1 MOM B. WOODWOR-TH, M. J. OUTWATER & E. HOFF.

MALL BAG HOLDER. APPLIcATIpK rum M51249, 1911.

Patented June 20, 1911.

2 SHEETE-BHEET 2.

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EARL \VOODWORTH. MARY J. OUJFNATER, AND EVA HOFF, OF- LEONIDAS, MICHIGAN.

MAlL -BAG HOLDER.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 29. 1911'. Serial No. 617.768.

.\lail-llag llolder; and we do here y de lare the following to he a lull. elear, and (Karl deseription ol the invention, sueh as will enable others $ltilltll in the art to whieh it appertaius to make and use the same.

This invention relat s to a new and useful deviee {or eatehiug or reeeiviug mail pouehes or bags from last. moving trains, and in which novel features,ot' eonstrlu-tion are. involved.

The main ohjeet ol' the invention is to pro- \ide a simple. ellieieut and praetieal devieeof this character for lirmly holding the mail pouch or hag when reeeired.

A further ol jeet. ot' the invention is to provide outstanding yieldahly mounted arms for hugging the mail pout-h, until pulled from the holder of the mail ear, there heiu a short yieldahly mounted arm, whieh is passed by the mail pout-h when it: eoutaets with theJirst mentioned arms. and when the pouch is pulled from the holder of the mail ear, thetirsti mentioned arms spring hat-l; in position, in order that the short. arm will assist in looking and holding the. mail poneh in position'hetween the lirst mentioned arms and the short arm. 'lhese arms are earried by stationary posts adjacent tttt'l! side of the. railroad track, the tirst mentioned arms being hinged to one side of the post, there being three or more of them, while the short arm and additional arm of the same iength as the first nnntiuned arms hinged to the other side of the post. The additional arm is moved out of its normal position by the mail pouch and assists the short arm in holding the mail pouch when caught.

The main object for providing yielding means for the arms to permit them to yield under the force )f the mail hag or pout-h. These yieldably mounted arms are shown in the drawings as being carried hy a stationary post for receiving the mail pout-h from a moving train, lint it is to he understood that. similar arms may he carried by the train,

for catching a mail pouch from the station aryho-lder on the side of the traelt. In the drawings, however, there is 0iil y'-(liselose:l one form of the. present invention, hut in practical fields this form may require. alterations, to whieh the applieauts are entitled. provided the alterations are comprehended hy the appended elaims. The invention eomprises further features and eomhination of parts, as hereinafter set forth, shown in the drawings, and elaimed:

Patented June 20, 1911.

In the drawin s:Figure t is a view in perspertive showing the application of the mail reeei 'ing or eatehiugjderive, the same heiugeonstrneted in aeeordauee with the. invention. Fig. 2 is a plan View showing the \'ieldahly mounted arms for-first catching the mail poueh, in the art of pulling the poueh from the holder ot the mail ear. Fig. 3 is a view similar to l showing the pouch eaught. the arms for first eatehing the pmteh thrown hilt'li in their normal positions, whereby a short arm assists in holding the potl lt eanght. Fig. l is an enlarged perpee ive iew of" the mail t'e eising or eatelh iug derive.

Referring more. espeeially to the annexed drawings. l designates the. usual form of mail pom-h h lder. whit-h is carried by the moving mail ea r, and whieh may he. thrown out of operative position, when not being used. as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1. This mail [)(Hltlt holder is mounted in order to yield against the :n-ti n of .the spring L. The mail hag or pout-h is SuS pended lntwetlt the hooks of the holder. This holder is of the usual eonstrmtion, therefore the sam will form no part of the present invention.

l'lrerzted on the side of the railroad track is a ::ti 5:ar\' upright post l. Seeured to the po t n ma" ide is i tong arm 5, and a snort arm and eonne ting hetweeu these arm are the springs T and Hinged at- 9, li and i on th other side ol' the post.

ar three long arms 1!. I? and H. "lorsimml springs 1 ll) and li are eouueeled lwhH-elt the arms: l2. l3 and H and the post, hy means of the eyes to and l-*. The arms 5 and t? are eurw'i on an are of a eirele toward the arms 2., l3 and H, while the arms IL. 13 and .l are siuuiarly curved. hut tonard the arms 5 and (i.

lnr means of the springs 15. It; and 17, the arms 1;. it, and H are permitted to yield Htniet' the fort-e. of the How of the mail pom-h. and when the arms 12. 13 and i-l tly ltlth in PHSlliUIL the arms 5 and ti assist in limiting their movements. However, when the arms 1:2, 13 and It tly back in position,

the arms 5 and 6 slightly.yield under the force of the blow of the arms 12, 13 and 14. The arms 5 and 6, as was hereinbefore stated assist in holding the mail pouch after being caught by the arms 12, 13 and 14. When the mail pouch is caught, it is held between i the arms 12, 13 and 14 and the arms 5 and 6.

From the foregoing. it will be clearly evident that there has been devised a novel, eliicient and practical device for catching iail pouches from moving trains, and one which is found to fully answer the purpose: 'The invention having been set forth, what is claimed as new and useful is:

1. In combination 'a stationary post, a plurality of spring tension'ed arms hinged to one side, of the post adapted to yield under the force of the blow of the mail bag for pulling the same from a moving car,"

and a'short and a long arm having yielding means hinged to the other side of the post, adapted to be passed by the mail pouch, and subsequently relieve the force of the blow of the first arms when flying back in their normal posit-ions.

2. In combination, a stationary post, a. plurality of long curved arms hinged to one side of the post for catching a mail pouch from a moving train, springs connecting between the arms and the post to.permit the arms to yield under the force of the blow of the mail pouch, a long and a shortcurved arm-hinged to the other side of the post, a'nd'intercrossing the first arm, and springs connecting the long and the short arm and the post, the long and sho'rt arms adapted to be passed by'the mail pouch, and subsequently relieve the force of the blow of the first arm when returning to their normal position.

In testimony whereof we have signed our,

names to this specification in the picsiance of two subscribing witnesses. EARL WOODWORTH. MARY J. ()UTWATER.

EVA HOFF.

'Witnesses RHEUAMA YOUNG, ALICE B. Kmcsmcr. 

